She told her everything. From her main goal for the future and ideology, to her being a trinity, to Annie, to the reason as to why she was even in Aboa and the involvement of a demon, to the dream she had about her, to what had happened just a few hours earlier. Amelia and Annie both remained silent the entire time she spoke.
When Asuka had finished, she hung her head to the ground unable to meet Amelia's eyes. She didn't know how the young girl should react. Would she be afraid of her. Maybe even resent her for being part demon. No one talked for a while and the anxiety ripping Asuka apart inside.
Amelia the let out a hearty laugh catching the trinity of guard.
"I'm sorry, but you talk about yourself in such a strange way," she chuckled.
Asuka tilted her head in confusion. Amelia then stood up, smiled and confidently pointed at Asuka.
"You are not peace. You are Asuka," said the girl.
"Wha...I don't get what you mean."
"You want to become peace itself. That you were something 'more than human'. You really are arrogant."
A flinched as a sharp pain ran through Asuka's heart at Amelia's words. She looked down in unable to match her eyes. She unconsciously clutched at her pant nearly tearing them with her grip.
"Of course she wouldn't get it. It's not as if I didn't expect this. But still..."
Then, a pair of hands wrapped hers which she had unknowingly tightly gripped together. She looked up to see Amelia's sympathetic gaze.
"You know, my father told me a quote after telling a story from a legend about a fallen hero."
There was a nostalgic expression on Amelia's face as she began to speak.
"'To fall is to be human. And to be human is a blessing'. I forgot the name, but the legend was about a hero who was bestowed great power by the aeons. She was not only beautiful but also unbeatable. An unrivaled warrior who could've shattered to world. She had many allies in her army who she was very close with and considered her family. But she was arrogant and greedy. She always thought she was strength itself and the more she grew in power, the more of the world she wanted for herself. But as my dad said, 'she would find out exactly where she fit in the food chain'. Everyone is a prey to something. For her, it was the demon king.They battled for several days but in the end, she was defeated."
Annie was at first not listening to the story but after hearing some the details in the story, she began to focus and listen intently.
"Hold on, this story sounds familiar. But if it is who I think it is..."
"After her loss," continued Amelia, "she began to lose herself. The loss destroyed her pride, and in order to recover it, she began to recklessly start battles with the strongest demon commander armies in order to prove her strength, but it was at the cost of the lives of many of her allies. Those who didn't die, soon left her side leaving her all alone. But even alone, she simply fought the armies herself. In these battles, she would generate storms hundreds of kilometers wide, level mountain ranges and rain fire from the heavens. She defeated armies one by one until all the commanders had fallen at her feet. It was these feats that her nickname was coined. 'The Calamity'.
'Oh, how scary.'
Annie jumped up at the name 'The Calamity'. Her body started to tremble as an image flashed in her mind. A being with a halo over their head and four horns sprouting from the back of their head curving around the side to the front. She also had one eye glowing a deep crimson red and long black hair flying wildly behind. Wielding a long spear she was swinging down in a wide arc, she wore a smile not even a mother could love.
Annie toppled to the ground clutching at her head which was throbbing in pain.
"What is this? What am I seeing," she questioned in her head.
"It was through these battles, that she finally gained enough power to defeat the demon king. But she did not kill him. She wanted him to watch as she conquered the domain he always wanted to invade."
Asuka answered back knowing what Amelia was about to say.
"Caelestis. Land of the aeons."
Amelia tilted her head to the side.
"Caelestis? I didn't know the place even had a name, but yes."
"Why though? I thought it was the aeons that gave her that power?"
"That was precisely why. She blamed them for giving her that power. She claimed that the power had corrupted her mind making her the way she was. She made her way to Caelestis but when she got there, only one aeon was there waiting for. A halo floating over her pale white hair on her pearl like skin. Her face wore calm but there was pity in her eyes. And with one slice across her chest, the hero was defeated. This is where that quote comes from. The aeon spoke it to the hero in her final moments."
Amelia then looked into Asuka's eyes with a serious look.
"Do you understand why the hero fell Asuka?"
Asuka looked down realizing why Amelia had told her this story. Then Asuka nodded.
Amelia smiled at Asuka's response.
"Good."
"But, how? How am I supposed inspire peace in others if I myself don't embody it?"
"Just be you Asuka. No matter how great you are or become, you will always be human. You will make mistakes and might even get others hurt. What you need to show them is that is how you respond to that. Learn from your mistakes and push past them and grow. And do not hide them from those who follow you. Show them your struggle, and show them overcoming it. Then and only then will they truly want to join you on the path of struggle."
Asuka at first had a shocked expression on her face before cracking a smile. Then she began to chuckle slightly surprised and the girls words.
"I'm surprised. You're a lot more mature than I thought you."
Amelia made a pouting face.
"Heeeey. I only act the way I do because it's the real me. I'm a lot more intelligent than I look."
"Yeah. I guess that's the case," Asuka said with a smile.
There was a short silence between the two of them until Amelia grabbed Asuka's palms and held them tightly and began to speak.
"I guess I really haven't been a good friend to you Asuka."
"Why would you say that Amelia? You've been nothing but good to me ever since I got here."
"But not good enough. Your hands were so tense. You must have really been anxious about how I would've reacted to this. But I'm glad that you told me about yourself. I feel like we've gotten closer to being the bestest of friends. So next time, don't be so hesitant," she said with an ear to ear grin.
Asuka couldn't express how happy she was to hear Amelia's words. Her eyes began to water and she gave Amelia tight hug which was without hesitation reciprocated.
"Thank you....thank you so much for accepting me," she sobbed.
"Of course I would. If you ever have a burden too heavy to carry, you don't even have to ask. I'll be there to carry it with you."
"I don't know if I did the right thing. I don't know what will be the consequences of this interaction. But right now.....everything feels just right."
Then something crossed her mind. Something about the story Amelia told. She pulled away from the embrace and wiped her eyes before asking the question.
"Hey Amelia, the hero in your story. You never mentioned a name. Why's that?"
"Well the name was never mentioned. I don't know why but they probably thought it would've been some type of taboo or something," she answered with a shrug , "but that's enough of that. I wanna learn more about you bestie."
"Oh well, what would you like to know?"
Amelia gave a devious grin before asking Asuka a question no girl wants to be asked.
"Is there a boy like?"
Asuka immediately started to blush and stumble over words. Amelia's body nearly fell off the bed as she tilted to the side and grabbed her stomach as she cackled having never seen her act so embarrassed. She then got close to Asuka who tried to back away but her arms were restrained by the blond infront of her.
"Details. I need, all of them."
Asuka was trapped. She knew all to well that once captured by a girl craving the insight of another's love life, it was impossible to escape.
"Uh...hi...his name is Arthur."
Amelia would've made a good choir girl the way she shrieked. Asuka closed her eyes and covered her ears. Amelia finished and began to speak excitedly.
"Well go on! I need to know if this man is worthy of my hero."
"Well...um...he's got cool sandy brown curly hair and eyes...nice golden skin...and freckled face..."
Asuka got lost in the description and began to day dream about the boy. She managed to catch herself but not before Amelia noticed who gave her quite the cheeky smirk
"Oh wow. Who new you could be so...infatuated. Tell me more," she teased.
Asuka blushed even more furiously. The two girls continued their boy talk until the sun fell from the sky and the two moons soar brightly in the sky. In that time Annie hadn't said a word. While she did enjoy the sight of the girls enjoying each other's company, the legend Amelia told and the image which flashed in her mind were troubling her deeply.
'''The Calamity'. But it can't be. If it is who I think it is, then things aren't adding up."
Again, her mind began to ache as another image flashed in her mind. It was of the same woman but instead the blood thirsty savage, she was instead playing in a grass field with many children who were laughing. But, something didn't seem right. A couple of the children looked like a regular human, but the other ones hard black skin and some even had horns.
"Demons...and humans. What is this?"
Then, the woman turned and looked and Annie. She was at first scared and tried to run but realized that she couldn't. The woman then began to walk towards Annie and to her shock, she began to walk towards the woman.
"No no no no no! What the fuck is wrong with my body!?"
They were now only centimeters apart from one another. Annie soon realized that she was not in her current body. The one she was seeing through was either a very short adult or a child. The woman was towering over her. She wore simple brown tanned sandals, pants and tunic. She could now see the all the carves in her lean muscles like she was made of stone. The woman then crouched down. She wore a gentle smile on her face. Her emerald green eyes gently looked into her own. Her onyx black hair flowing in the wind. She then raised her calloused hands to the girls head which at first scared Annie but once she saw what she was holding, her nerves calmed.
"A...flower crown?"
The woman then placed the crown on her head and patted her head a little. She then began to speak but what she said shocked Annie to her core.
"That crown looks dazzling on you Capyta," she said with heartwarming smile. But then her face shifted a little. It was almost like a look of....intrigue.
"Or would you prefer I call you....Annie?"